Step 1

Wash the pandan leaves to get rid of sands or dirt

Step 2

Cut into a 1-inch piece with kitchen shears. Do not put into the blender whole. Pandan leaves are very fibrous and need to be broken down into smaller pieces

Step 3

Blitz away until the leaves are reduced to pulps

Step 4

Transfer to a cheesecloth, which I used. You can use fine mesh strainer too. Squeeze all the juice out as much as you can

Step 5

You get your pandan juice. Transfer to a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. After that, they will start to smell bad. You can even go two more rounds with the pulps and add more water to get a more diluted version of pandan juice if you want

Step 6

Once you transfer the pandan juice to the glass jar and store in the refrigerator, let them sit undisturbed for 18-20 hours. The green sediment will start to accumulate at the bottom of the jar. This is your extract. Discard the liquid layer on the top and you can use the extract at the bottom

Step 7

Fresh pandan leaves can be kept frozen. Make sure you put them in double freezer bag if possible. These leaves can pick up aroma/smell from your freezer if you don't store them properly. I like to bundle probably about 10 leaves (more or less is up to you) in one bunch, wrap tightly with a cling wrap and then put in a freezer bag, push all the air out and put inside another freezer bag. I know it seemse like a lot of wrapping and plastic, but I always re-use those freezer bags. This way, your pandan leaves won't absorb aroma from your freezer

Step 8

When ready to use, simply thaw them at room temperature for 15-20 minutes and they are ready to be used per recipe instructions